In recent years, consumers have been moving away from traditional brick and mortar retailers and more towards online retailers such as Amazon. Consumers can shop from online retailers from virtually any location and at any time, providing convenience that traditional retailers cannot match. Further, the lack of costly real-estate and fewer employees, allows online retailers to provide pricing that is better than traditional retailers, even when shipping costs are considered.
However, traditional retailers may still have some advantages over online retailers. One such advantage is that traditional retailers are able to provide goods immediately to shoppers who may be unable or unwilling to wait for an item purchased from an online retailer to be shipped. Another advantage is that many consumers may be untrusting of online shopping in general.
Thus, what is needed are systems that combine the conveniences and cost savings of online retailers with the advantages of traditional retailers.